


That Which Was

by Aria_Lerendeair, LadyDrace



Series: Android AU [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Assassins & Hitmen, Dark Past, Gen, Moral Dilemmas, Murder, Past Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 03:15:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5114015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDrace/pseuds/LadyDrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel thinks back to how they got here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Which Was

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little thing I wrote to fill out Gabriel's character. Be warned, it's dark, but it has a happy-ish ending.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> \- Lady Drace

The problem with being a pilot was that sometimes you were alone at the wheel for long periods of time. Which gave you far too much time to think. And, inevitably, Gabriel's thoughts would always turn to darker times of his life. Because, sadly, so much of his life had been dark.

  
  


His family was large and influential in their part of the quadrant, and when you were born into large and influential families you had a duty to join the family business. And Gabriel had done so. He'd been a good son. He'd done what he'd been told, and for the longest time that had been enough.

  
  


He'd been the messenger. The one who informed other families and businesses when their actions were unappreciated or needed rethinking. He was the guard dog. The one they sent to bark at people before sending in the rest of the hounds for the kill.

  
  


That is, until one day, Lucifer had put a gun in his hand and told him to deal with it himself.

  
  


“Is that really necessary?” he'd asked, and Lucifer had sighed at him.

  
  


“Brother, you have to understand that unless you do this, no one will ever respect you. Respect _us_. The family. This is for the good of all of us.”

  
  


Gabriel wasn't stupid. He knew what happened to people who didn't heed his warnings. But doing it himself was another matter entirely. He was not a killer.

  
  


“Surely there's someone better suited for this,” he'd ventured carefully. Lucifer laughed. _Laughed_.

  
  


“And who, pray tell, would that be? Michael and I are busy running things upstairs, everyone else are out handling our interests elsewhere. Unless you want me to put the gun in Castiel's hand-”

  
  


“I'll do it. Okay? I'll do it.”

  
  


Castiel was barely seventeen. A gentle, bookish boy who probably knew too much about what his family did, but was entirely too innocent. And if Gabriel had any choice in the matter, he was going to keep it that way.

  
  


That was the first time. After that, Lucifer was well aware that all he had to do was mention Castiel, and Gabriel would pull the trigger without hesitation. He'd gladly take all the nightmares just so he could see Castiel go to school and be a normal kid without having the shadows of their family hanging over him. Gabriel was content. This was his life and he'd made his peace with it.

  
  


It lasted until Castiel turned twenty one. Then their father announced at the dinner table that Castiel would join the family business, as was expected of all his children, and Castiel had looked confused, but pleased. Gabriel had felt cold, hard terror, and he'd smiled at his father, raised his glass in a toast, and had already decided that his life was over.

  
  


That very night he took Castiel and ran. Told him everything and gave him the choice to go back, but Castiel had chosen to stay with Gabriel. To run and never look back. To never have to raise a hand to anyone. They had nothing, but Gabriel had never been happier.

 

 


End file.
